IPhatmose—Isiqhingi Se-Apocalypse

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eGreece

ABANTU basePhatmose bake babuka phesheya koLwandle lwase-Aegean bebuka ukukhanya okulokoza emithambekeni yezintaba esiqhingini esiseduze saseSamos. Abanye bathi lokhu kukhanya okuyinqaba kungamaza kagesi, kodwa izakhamuzi zasePhatmose ezithanda inkolo ziphikelela ngokuthi akunjalo. Zagijima zayotshela omakhelwane ukuthi zithole esinye isibonakaliso esivela esakhamuzini esidumile esasihlala kulesi siqhingi kuqala, esadingiselwa kulesi siqhingi esincane saseGreece esingasekupheleni kogu lwase-Asia Minor, eminyakeni engaba ngu-1 900 edlule.

Ngokunokwenzeka lowo muntu odumile walahlwa uMbusi waseRoma uDomitian, ukuze ahlale ePhatmose “ngenxa yokukhuluma ngoNkulunkulu nangenxa yokufakaza ngoJesu.” Kulapho ezwa khona izwi likaNkulunkulu, “elinjengelecilongo,” elathi: “Ngingu-Alfa no-Omega . . . Lokho okubonayo kulobe emqulwini.”—IsAmbulo 1:8-11.

Lowo mqulu, noma leyo ncwadi, iyisivaleliso sencwadi ethengwa kunazo zonke kuwo wonke umlando. Abanye baye bayichaza ngokuthi eminye yemisebenzi engaqondakali kunayo yonke eyake yalotshwa—incwadi yeBhayibheli isAmbulo, noma i-Apocalypse, incwadi yokugcina yeBhayibheli. Umlobi kwakunguJohane, umphostoli kaJesu. Umbono uJohane awubona mayelana nenhlekelele yokugcina yezwe elibi sekungamakhulu eminyaka uthakazelisa abafundi.a

IPhatmose Namuhla

Izivakashi eziningi zizovuma ukuthi iPhatmose—engasemaphethelweni enyakatho yeziQhingi zaseDodecanese—yiyona ndawo lapho izenzakalo zale ncwadi zenzeka khona. Izingqumbi eziphakeme ezabangelwa ukuqhuma kwezintaba-mlilo nemihosha emnyama kuthubeleza kuhlangane noxhaxha lwamagquma aluhlaza nezimfunda ezinezimbali ezishiswa yilanga lase-Aegean elikhipha umkhovu etsheni.

Ukuze ngibone ukuthi iPhatmose injani namuhla, ngahamba ngesikebhe ngisuka ePiraievs, ichweba elikhulu laseGreece. Ngemva kwaphakathi kwamabili, njengoba isikebhe sasifika ethekwini laseSkála eliwumhubhe—ichweba nedolobha elikhulu lasePhatmose—amafu ahlukana futhi sabona isiqhingi ngokukhanya kwenyanga egcwele.

Ngakusasa ekuseni, njengoba ngangiphuza ikhofi laseGreece elibabayo, ngalungela ukuqala ukuhlola lesi siqhingi. Ekuseni ngabona ogogo, begqoke ezimnyama kusuka ekhanda kuya onyaweni, bezama ukufica izingane ezikhasayo ezibalekayo. Umdobi onehwanqa owayehlezi eduze wayenqonqotha ukudla kwakhe kwasemini—i-octopus ayesanda kuyidoba—kusimende osesikhumulweni ukuze kuthambe.

Esikhundleni sokuhamba ngesikebhe, nganquma ukuqwala intaba ngemuva kweSkála ukuze ngisibone kahle sonke isiqhingi. Sasibukeka kahle kakhulu. Lesi siqhingi sendlaleka olwandle njengebalazwe elikhulu lesimo sendawo. IPhatmose injengeziqhingana ezintathu kwesisodwa—izinhlonhlo ezihlanganiswe umdweshu wezwe ophansi. Omunye wale midweshu yezwe useSkála. Omunye usendaweni ebizwa kufanele ngokuthi iDiakofti okusho ukuthi “Sika Kuhlukane,” eduze kwengxenye engenamuntu engasekugcineni kweningizimu yesiqhingi. IPhatmose ayiwona ngisho amakhilomitha angu-13 ubude, futhi kwenye indawo ungakwazi nokujikijela itshe lifike ngalé.

Ezikhathini Ezinezivunguvungu

IPhatmose iye yabhekwa njengengcwele cishe kusukela abantu bokuqala abahlala kuyo bafika lapho eminyakeni engaba ngu-4 000 edlule, besuka e-Asia Minor. Lezo zakhamuzi zokuqala zakhetha indawo engeyesibili kweziphakeme kakhulu kulesi siqhingi ukuze ibe yindawo yethempeli lika-Artemis, unkulunkulukazi wokuzingela.

Cishe ngo-96 C.E., okucatshangwa ukuthi umphostoli uJohane wayedingiselwe ngawo esiqhingini sasePhatmose, yayingaphansi kombuso waseRoma. Ekhulwini lesine leminyaka, lesi siqhingi saba yingxenye yoMbuso waseByzantium “wobuKristu.” Kwase kuthi phakathi kwekhulu lesi-7 neleshumi, senganyelwa ubuSulumane.

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, iPhatmose yasala dengwane futhi yaba ugwadule. Kwase kuthi ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-11 indela engum-Orthodox yaseGreece yaqala ukwakha isigodlo “sikaSanta” Johane esinezinqaba esizeni sethempeli lamaqaba lika-Artemis. Kancane kancane abahlala lapho babuyela futhi bakha uxhaxha lwezindlu ezimhlophe ezinezinhlangothi ezilinganayo eHora, idolobha namanje eliseseduze nezindonga eziyisivikelo zasesigodlweni.

Lesi siqhingi sake sajabulela inkazimulo isikhathi esifushane ngasekupheleni kwawo-1800, lapho ezinye zezakhamizi zaso zazinelinye lamaviyo emikhumbi angenisa izindodla zemali eMediterranean. Ngandlela-thile lelo viyo lemikhumbi labangela ukuba bangene kabusha. Ngawo-1970, izinkinsela eziningana zathola indawo nezakhiwo ezinhle nezibiza kahle kulokho ngokuyinhloko okwase kuyisiqhingi esase silitshelwe. Balungisa eziningi zezindlu ezinkulu ezingasolwandle zabanikazi bemikhumbi futhi lokhu kanye nechweba elisha, kwenza ukuba iPhatmose ihehe izivakashi.

Kuze kube manje iPhatmose iye yakugwema ukuthutheleka kwezivakashi okucishe konakalisa ezinye iziqhingi zaseGreece. Izizathu eziyinhloko ukuntula kwayo isikhumulo sezindiza nokuphikelela kwezindela ukuba ihlale iyisifunda esingcwele esiyinhloko.

Ukuxuba Umlando Nesiko

Engisiza ukuba ngihlele indlela engizohlola ngayo lesi siqhingi, uweta wami wangiyalela umgwaqo ogandaywe ngamatshe osuneminyaka engu-400 ukhona ongemuva kwedolobha laseSkála, oholela ehlathini likaphayini elinephunga elimnandi kulokho okukholelwa ukuthi umgede kaJohane nasesigodlweni ‘sikaSanta’ Johane. Emaphethelweni edolobha, ngadlula umdwebo owesabisayo osanda kupendwa ngopende obomvu odongeni lwamatshe: “Ohi sto 666” (Qaphela u-666), olunye lwezimpawu zesAmbulo eziqondwa kabi.

ISigodlo se-Apocalypse, esinendlwana yesonto ‘kaSanta’ Anne sakhiwa ngo-1090 ukuze sivale indlela engena emgedeni lapho kukholelwa ukuthi uJohane wathola khona imibono yakhe. Ngabuka owesifazane owayeyedwa eguqile futhi enamathisela i-tama (umnikelo) esithombeni ‘sikaSanta’ Johane. Amakholwa angama-Orthodox, akholelwa ukuthi isithombe singenza isimangaliso, anikela nge-tamata—izinto zensimbi ezincane ezifana nabantu, izingxenye zomzimba, izindlu ngisho nezimoto nezikebhe. Ngakhumbula ukuthi ngabona iminikelo enjalo eyenziwe ngobumba eduze neKorinte ethempelini likankulunkulu ongudokotela wamaGreki asendulo u-Asclepius. Ingabe kwamane nje kwaqondana?

Izinsalela Zesiko Nemibhalo Yesandla

Njengoba ngangingena emagcekeni esigodlo ‘sikaSanta’ Johane, kwavela umuntu onobungane enxanxatheleni yamaphasishi amnyama. “UPapa Nikos” (UBaba uNick) wayeziqhenya ngokubukisa ezinye izivakashi eziningana kuhlanganise nami ingcebo yesigodlo. Isigodlo, esithatha ingxenye enkulu yePhatmose, singenye yezinto ezicebile nezinethonya kakhulu eGreece.

Sahamba kancane endlwaneni yesonto epholile, emnyama ngenxa yokufuswa intuthu yamakhandlela phakathi neminyaka, lapho kukhona khona izinsalela zomsunguli wesigodlo, sabe sesingena eNdlwaneni yeNcasakazi, ingxenye yayo eyakhiwe ngamatshe athathwe ethempelini lika-Artemis. Emnyuziyamu, sabona inani elikhulu legolide lenkosi namagugu ayenikelwe ababusi baseRussia; itayitela lendela yangekhulu le-11 elalibhalwe lesi siqhingi, lisayinwe uMbusi waseByzantium u-Alexius I Comnenus; nocezu oluhle lweVangeli likaMarku lwangekhulu lesithupha, elalibhalwe ephepheni eliyisikhumba elinsomi ngesiliva esikhundleni sikayinki. Ngaphezu kwalolu cezu, isigodlo sineqoqo elikhulu lamaBhayibheli nemibhalo yesandla yenkolo.

Umbukwane Wesiqhingi

Lesi siqhingi sibuye sibe nobuhle bemvelo. Ebangeni elingamakhilomitha ambalwa eningizimu yeSkála, kunebhishi lakudala elisejikeni letheku elivikelwe. Leli bhishi liyithafa nje futhi alinalutho ngaphandle kweKalikatsou, okusho ukuthi “iWonde,” idwala eliphakathi nebhishi, elinezitezi ezinhlanu kuya kweziyisithupha futhi eligcwele imigede njengesiduli somuhlwa.

Indlela engcono kakhulu yokujabulela iPhatmose ukumane uzulazule yonke indawo. Ungase uthande ukuthamela ilanga elishisayo phakathi kwezinsalela ezingambiwe zengxenye yasendulo eqinile ephezulu eKastelli futhi ulalele ukukhala kwezimvu ezikude nekhwela likamalusi elisholo phezulu. Noma ngentambama ethile lapho i-Aegean isabalalisa inkungu yayo esibhakabhakeni, ungase ufune ukuhlala futhi ubukele amabhishi lapho izikebhe ezisuka enkungwini ehwamukayo zibukeka sengathi zenyukela esibhakabhakeni.

Ngosuku lwami lokugcina lapho, ukushona kwelanga elihle elibomvu kwenza idolobha labukeka lilikhulu ngezansi. Ngaphandle ethekwini, abadobi abadoba ngezibani babelungisa izikebhe ezincane ezingenanjini, ezaziwa ngokuthi ama-gri-gri, amachwane amadada, ngoba zidonswa ngentambo ngemva komkhumbi omkhulu.

Sonke isiqhingi kwabonakala sengathi siyakhazimula. Umoya obandayo namagagasi aphakeme kwakuyiphosa ngapha nangapha i-gri-gri ngendlela eyingozi. Emahoreni ambalwa kamuva, ngaphinde ngabona izikebhe zisuka esikhumulweni sezibuyela ePiraievs njengoba zihamba kancane zidlula izindawo zokudoba ngamakhilomitha ambalwa ogwini. Amadoda ayesezokhele izibani ezigqame ngokuxhophayo azisebenzisela ukuheha izinhlanzi. Ngalobo busuku, kuze kube yilapho wona nesiqhingi esingemuva enyamalala emehlweni, isithombe sikaJohane odingisiwe ebhala umbono wakhe ePhatmose sasisalokhu sisengqondweni yami.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 27]

Isigodlo ‘sikaSanta’ Johane

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]

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